


Friends

by thequidditchpitch_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, First War with Voldemort, First War with Voldemort OR Second War with Voldemort, Order of the Phoenix - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-18
Updated: 2011-11-18
Packaged: 2018-10-26 13:06:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10787310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequidditchpitch_archivist/pseuds/thequidditchpitch_archivist
Summary: Now that school is over, Remus is worried about his future.





	Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

           A light rain was falling when Remus Lupin returned home from James and Lily’s wedding.  He left his dripping umbrella in the stand and went upstairs to change clothes.  His bedroom ceiling was leaking again.  The roof really needed to be replaced; there was only so much patching that magic could do.  But Remus couldn’t afford it.  The small trust fund his parents had left him barely covered his basic necessities.    

            James had insisted on buying him a new suit for the wedding.  It cost more than anything Remus had ever owned.  

            “Wear it to job interviews,” James advised.  “A nice suit always creates a good impression.”

            _Unless it’s worn by a werewolf._

Since leaving Hogwarts, Remus had applied for dozens of jobs.  It came as no surprise when he heard nothing back.  Rumors about him were circulating thick and fast, thanks to Severus Snape.  How could Lily have ever fancied herself in love with such an obnoxious wanker?

            “I wasn’t, not really,” she had said.  “We grew up in the same neighborhood.  In fact, he knew I was a witch before I did.  Something might have developed, only he made some unacceptable choices.”

            He swapped the suit for his bathrobe, shoved a bucket under the leak, and went downstairs to see about dinner.  

            Sirius had suggested they hit the pubs once James and Lily departed, but that was before he noticed the pretty girl who was catering the reception.  Knowing Sirius, he was probably shagging her silly by now.  That left Peter, but he was nursing a hangover from James’s bachelor party the previous night.  

            Remus heated a bowl of soup for dinner.  That was another thing he’d miss about Hogwarts; the bountiful meals.  His food supply was running dangerously low, as it always did toward the end of the month.  

            As he ate, he looked through the latest edition of the _Daily Prophet._   His parents’  subscription was paid up through the end of the year, but he’d have to forego renewing.  He could always fish one out of a trash bin.  

            Back-to-school ads dominated every page.  The first of September was rapidly approaching, bringing with it a sharp sense of loss.  How strange it would seem not to board the Hogwarts Express and find his friends waiting.   The threads that had bound them together all through school were slowly snapping, one by one.   

            Professor Dumbledore had made it clear that Remus wasn’t to use the Shrieking Shack anymore, even though his parents had paid to have it built.  This angered James and Sirius, who felt that Remus should be reimbursed. 

            “I’d far rather Dumbledore helped me secure employment,” Remus protested.   “He knows so many people.”

            Sirius snorted.  

            “Come on, Remus, you know that Dumbledore won’t lift a finger to help you now that you’re done with school.  Out of sight, out of mind.”

            “Sirius is right.  But to be fair, explaining why a potential employee can’t work during the full moon would be difficult,” James pointed out.  “Don’t worry, we’ll help you find something.”  

            A knock at the door brought him back to the present.  To his surprise, Lily stood there.  She wore a hooded cloak as protection against the rain.  By her side was a huge basket.  

            “What are you doing here?  You’re supposed to be on your honeymoon,” Remus exclaimed.

            “Our Portkey doesn’t leave until tomorrow.  I can’t stop, I only came to bring you this,” she explained, indicating the basket.

            “What is it?” Remus asked.

            “The food that was left from the reception.  That silly catering girl was supposed to take it away, but she left with Sirius.”

            They shared a laugh.

            “We’re hoping you can help us out,” Lily went on.  “We can’t possibly eat it all, since we’re leaving tomorrow.  Could you find space for it in your kitchen?”

            “Sure,” Remus nodded.  “You’d better get back to James.  After all, it’s your wedding night.”

            Lily gave him a cheeky grin.

            “Don’t worry.  We’re not doing anything special, just the same old stuff,” she said.  

            Remus blushed.  She vanished with a soft pop, leaving him to carry the basket inside.  The food it contained would carry him through until the first of the month.  How extraordinarily kind Lily was, and how tactful.  He knew it must have been her idea; James would have thought nothing of tossing the lot.  

            Later, with a comfortably full stomach, he prepared for bed.  The future was still grim, but the earlier feeling that his friends were drifting away had vanished.  They weren’t going anywhere; they would always be a part of his life.  

               

 


End file.
